5 Questions with Wayne Cavanaugh of Ninja Nation

Taylor Greene crosses a section of the arena using rings in October at Ninja Nation in Lafayette. (Paul Aiken / Staff Photographer)

Wayne Cavanaugh is in the business of making kids fit, both physically and mentally. "We create heroes. Our goal is to create a million heroes," said Cavanaugh, founder and CEO of Ninja Nation.

His company provides play arenas with challenging obstacles that aim to teach kids to work hard, remain undeterred by failures, focus on goals they set for themselves, and to have fun doing so, Cavanaugh said.

"Nobody is born good at anything. You learn through repetitive hard work," he said.

Cavanaugh in June opened the first Ninja Nation at 1700 Coal Creek Drive in Lafayette, and has since opened two more facilities, one in suburban Denver and the other in Frisco, Texas. The gyms are designed for all ages and skill levels, but they have been especially popular with kids, ages 5 to 15, he said.

There're about 1,000 members across the three clubs, Cavanaugh said.

We recently talked with Cavanaugh to learn more about his business' success. .

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

1. What was the idea behind starting Ninja Nation?

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After owning and investing in a number of companies, I understood the importance of customer experience. I also was thinking about what kind of impact I want to have on the community. As someone who coached kids in baseball, flag football, soccer and basketball, I wanted to have the greatest positive impact on the greatest number of people.

I was inspired by the popularity of a sports entertainment TV show, which originated in Japan, and has an American version, "American Ninja Warrior." Not every one is able to make it to the show, so I took the idea and made it available to everyone.

2. What makes your business special?

We have a passionate team of people that includes Geoff Britten, who is one of the two people to have finished all four stages of the nationals finals course on the "American Ninja Warrior" show. He came from Maryland to be an employee and an equity holder in the business.

We have coaches who have been "American Ninja" competitors. In all, we have 70 employees, both full time and part time. Their passion has fueled our success. In our first three to four months, we did more business than we thought we would manage in 12 to 18 months.

Everybody who works here knows this is their chance to create something special.

This is a place strangers cheer each other on and become friends. It's a community created experience.

3. How do you think people have been discovering Ninja Nation?

Social media is spreading the word. People come to Ninja Nation, take pictures and videos and post them on Facebook and Instagram. We frequently hit our capacity.

We also have a Ninja Nation mobile program that we take to events at schools, churches, corporate or community events. We can customize the experience for clients depending on their needs.

4. What keeps you on your toes now that you've tasted success?

Making sure that we provide a great customer experience when Ninja Nation is teeming with people. Fridays get busy, but the weekends are crazy.

Ninja Nation also rents out the facility for birthday parties for kids, ages 5 and up. It allows them to try out our ninja challenges while celebrating their special day. We want every one to have a great experience at Ninja Nation.

5. How do you plan to grow your business?

We want to continue to focus on our culture. We want to be a source of engagement, encouragement and energy for our customers and employees. We plan to start franchising the concept later this year. We've had interest from parties in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

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